AP National News

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A Bronx community is gathering to pay final respects to perished loved ones, a week after a fire filled a high-rise apartment building with thick, suffocating smoke that killed 17 people, including eight children. Earlier in the week, burial services were held for two children

By BABA AHMED Associated Press BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has died nearly 18 months after he was ousted in a military coup. He was 76. Keita’s death was announced Sunday in Bamako. Keita had been battling health problems in recent years. He won the historic 2013 presidential election held

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has left Australia after losing his final bid to avoid deportation and play in the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated for COVID-19. A court earlier unanimously dismissed the No. 1-ranked tennis player’s challenge to cancel his visa. The 34-year-old Serb said he was “extremely

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine says Russia was behind a cyberattack that defaced government websites and it alleged that Russia is engaged in a “hybrid war” against the country. The statement from Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Development came a day after Microsoft said dozens of computer systems at an unspecified

By HOLLY MEYER and HALELUYA HADERO Associated Press Biltmore United Methodist Church of Asheville, North Carolina, is for sale. Already financially strapped because of shrinking membership and a struggling preschool, attendance at weekly services have plummeted during the pandemic, with many staying home or switching to other churches. Gone, too, is the revenue from renting

By PAMELA SAMPSON and KIM CHANDLER Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A dangerous winter storm combining high winds and ice swept through parts of the U.S. Southeast. The storm knocked out power, felled trees and fences and coated roads with a treacherous, frigid glaze on Sunday. More than 260,000 customers were without power in Georgia,

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — By some counts, President Joe Biden can lay claim to a banner first year in office. But the numbers also reveal plenty of setbacks. Most in the United States got their COVID-19 vaccines, but other countries fared better. Economic growth surged but so did inflation. America exited

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The Austrian government has presented revised plans for its proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Officials say it will now apply to all residents age 18 and over. Originally it was 14 and over. Officials said Sunday that a phased introduction will give people plenty of opportunity to comply.

By MEG KINNARD and BRYAN GALLION Associated Press COVID-19 infections are soaring again at U.S. nursing homes because of the omicron wave, and deaths are climbing too. That’s leading to new restrictions on family visits and a renewed push to get more residents and staff members vaccinated and boosted. Nursing homes were the lethal epicenter

By ZEKE MILLER and CALVIN WOODWARD Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden came to office seeing two sicknesses in his country. Neither has abated a year later. The coronavirus is rampaging like never before, though now from a different variant. The other malady he spoke about from the inaugural stage was one of

BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese city of Xi’an has gradually begun lifting restrictions after over three weeks of lockdown as authorities sought to stamp out a local outbreak before the Beijing Winter Olympic Games are due to start. State-owned broadcaster CCTV reported that certain counties and development zones in Xi’an had begun restoring production. People

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia has held a referendum on constitutional amendments that the populist government says are needed for the Balkan country to advance in a bid to join the European Union. The ballot focuses on the changes in the election of judges and prosecutors that authorities say are aimed at boosting their independence

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A magnitude 5.4 earthquake has rattled northern Greece and has been felt in the capital. There have been no immediate reports of damage. The Athens-based Institute of Geodynamics said the temblor occurred Sunday afternoon in the Aegean Sea near the Mount Athos peninsula at a depth of 19.3 kilometers (12 miles).

HELSINKI (AP) — Denmark has lifted a number of coronavirus restrictions and allowed the reopening of certain venues despite the spread of the omicron variant in the country. Cinemas, zoos, museums and theaters were among the places that could open their doors Sunday. Limited numbers of spectators also were allowed to attend indoor and outdoor

By HASSAN BARISE Associated Press MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s government spokesperson has been wounded in a suicide bombing that the al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility for. Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu appeared to be the sole target in the attack near his residence by a busy intersection in Mogadishu. A statement from the prime minister’s

BEIJING (AP) — State media are reporting the Chinese city of Xi’an has gradually begun lifting restrictions after over three weeks of lockdown as authorities sought to stamp out a local outbreak. CCTV reported Sunday that certain counties and development zones in Xi’an had begun restoring production. Officials are quoted as saying lockdown measures were

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has left Australia after losing his final bid to avoid deportation and play in the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated for COVID-19. A court earlier unanimously dismissed the No. 1-ranked tennis player’s challenge to cancel his visa. The 34-year-old Serb said he was “extremely

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic was being deported rather than playing his first-round Australian Open match on Monday. The nine-time and defending champion was scheduled to play a night match on Day 1 in a program announced on Sunday while Djokovic was still in legal limbo. Three judges

By SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s state internet provider says internet services have been disrupted because of diesel shortages. That makes it the latest essential service to suffer from the country’s snowballing economic crisis. The head of state internet provider Ogero tweeted that starting early Sunday a major station in west

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry has filed a claim for a judicial review against the British government’s decision not to let him personally pay for police protection while in the U.K. The Duke of Sussex’s legal representative said Saturday that Harry wants to bring his children Archie and Lilibet to